The present invention relates to a dispensing device for dispensing portions of liquid foodstuff from a foodstuff container, wherein the foodstuff container can be placed in an outer container, wherein a pump device is removably mounted on the outer container and includes a pump chamber and a connecting pipe or similar for connecting the foodstuff container to the pump chamber, wherein the pump device includes a pump means which is designed such that and which can be affected by a device affecting the pump device such that said pump means can generate a vacuum in the pump chamber, connecting pipe and foodstuff container for drawing foodstuff out of said foodstuff container to the pump chamber and press foodstuff out of the pump chamber and into a dispensing pipe connected thereto, wherein a first non-return valve, seen in the flow direction of the foodstuff through the pump device, is located upstream of the pump chamber and adapted to prevent foodstuff from flowing back from said pump chamber towards the foodstuff container during dispensing of foodstuff from the pump chamber, and wherein a second non-return valve, seen in the flow direction of the foodstuff through the pump device is located downstream of the pump chamber and adapted to prevent foodstuff and/or air from being drawn or sucked into the pump chamber from said dispensing pipe or similar when the pump means draws foodstuff from the foodstuff container to the pump chamber.
Dispensing devices of the above construction are previously known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,452,826. The object of the present invention is to improve the ability of the pump device to pump foodstuff out of the foodstuff container. According to the invention this is arrived at by providing the dispensing device with substantially the characterizing features of subsequent claim 1.
By providing the dispensing device with said characterizing features, the pumping ability of the pump device is improved, which is achieved inter alia by subjecting the foodstuff to less resistance when it is drawn or sucked from the foodstuff container to the pump chamber of the pump device.